Carving knife with spacer attachment



July 26, 1966 J. S. HAHN CARVING KNIFE WITH SPACER ATTACHMENT Filed June 5, 1964 INVENTOR. JEROME HAHN BY A'Vmt/d' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3 252 203 CARVHNG KNEFE WITH SPACER ATTACENT Jerome S. Hahn, Roslyn Heights, N.Y., assignor to Regentghefiliield, Ltd, Whitestone, N.Y., a corporation of New Filed June 3, 1964, Ser. No. 372,282 Claims. (Cl. 30-493) The present invention relates generally to carving knives, and more particularly to an improved carving knife having a movable slicing guide adjustable into various spaced positions with respect to the knife blade for cutting slices of corresponding widths.

It is known to provide a carving knife having a knife lade and a slicing guide extending in spaced parallel relation. The slicing guide is of a general elongated configuration, with a fiat face for contacting the exposed side of the material which is to be cut. This type of carving knife and slicing guide is particularly advantageous in slicing various material, such as roasts of meat, since individual slices of uniform thickness can easily be obtained with little or no skill being required of the individual manipulating the carving knife. Thus, in order to obtain uniform slices of a predetermined thickness, it is merely necessary for the slicing guide to be positioned at a selected distance from the knife blade. Various means have been suggested for the connection and control of the slicing guide, such as, providing a slideway which extends laterally and outwardly from one side of the knife handle and a guide member having a block portion which is received in the slideway. The control element for this known arrangement usually includes a knob which is exposed on the opposite side of the knife from the guide member which is fixed to the threaded end of a pin, the opposite end of which is fixed to the block portion in the slidew-ay. In order to adjustably shift the guide member and block portion in the slideway, it is necessary to provide a washer or some form of internal threading within the knife handle for receiving the threaded end of the pin and also, biasing means, usually in the form of a spring between the washer and the block portion, for varying and maintaining the spacing between the guide member and the knife blade.

These conventional arrangements are of relatively complex construction and present difficulties in fabricating the knife handle. In addition, it is often impossible to remove the guide arrangement from the knife, as may be required for properly cleaning the carving knife and slicing attachment. Also, it is often not possible to obtain a high degree of accuracy in the selection of slice thicknesses. Further, in conventional guide arrangements for carving knives, it is frequently not possible to achieve a symmetrical construction, since the control and guide means protruded from the side of the handle. In addition to detracting from the appearance of the carving knife, this also has made it much more difiicult for the user to manipulate the control for adjusting the slicing guide.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved carving knife and slicing guide which obviates one or more of the aforesaid difficulties. Specifically, it is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide a slicing guide and control arrangement for a carving knife which can be precisely adjusted to obtain a series of slices of a desired thickness.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a slicing guide which can easily be removed from the carving knife so as to be easily cleaned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for controlling the slicing guide which is housed within the knife handle to achieve a symmetric and more appealing appearance.

3,252,203 Patented July 26, 1966 "ice In accordance with an illustrated embodiment demonstrating objects and features of the present invention, a conventional knife for slicing material into a series of slices of selected thicknesses of the type including a handle, an elongated blade mounted on the handle, and an elongated slicing guide mounted in side by side relation to the blade, is improved by providing a threaded adjustment element and guide rod on the spacer, with a pair of control members in threaded engagement with the adjustment element. The handle is formed with bearing surfaces on opposite sides of the blade and through bores for respectively receiving the adjustment element and guide rod which are spaced apart from each other and extend outwardly from the spacer. Thus, the spacer can be locked in an infinite member of selected positions which are spaced apart from the blade by the rotation of the control members which are capable of being seated against the bearing surfaces and unseated from the hearing surfaces.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be best appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an improved carving knife with a spacer attachment embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the knife shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the control members for positioning the slicing guide and the slice-thickness control indicator;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the carving knife and spacer attachment; and,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown a carving knife and spacer attachment in accordance with this invention which comprises a unitary hand knife, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, which is of conventional construction and includes a handle H and a cutting blade B.

In accordance with the present invention, a slicing guide or spacer attachment 12 is operatively connected to the handle H by control means 14 and guide means 16 for slicing and locking the slicing guide 12 in a series of positions which are spaced apart from the blade B.

The handle H is formed with through bores 18 and 19 which are provided with respective cylindrical sleeves 20 and 21 that are press-fitted into bores 18 and 19 for receiving the control means 14 and guide means 16, respectively. The through bores 18 and 19 extend through the side portion of the handle H which is located adjacent the knife blade B such that the spacer attachment 12 is positioned directly beneath the cutting edge E of the blade B. The spacer attachment 12 is of an elongated configuration and is slightly shorter in length than the blade B, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The spacer attachment 12 is formed with a guiding side edge or face G which contacts the end face of the material M being sliced and maintains the cutting blade B at a uniform and fixed distance from such end face,

As best shown in FIG. 4, the control means 14 includes an externally threaded adjustment element or shaft 22 which is fixed to the spacer attachment 12, as by a press fit or by riveting, such that the adjustment element 22 extends outwardly from the face G of the spacer attachment 12 and at right angles thereto.

A pair of control elements, including a locking disc 26 and adjustment disc 28 are formed with internal threads 29, which engage the threads 24 on adjustment shaft 22 at opposite sides of the blade B. Conveniently, the portion of the handle H, adjacent to blade B is provided with a cute) out 30 and slot 32 for receiving the control elements 26, 28 without having them extend beyond the surface of the handle H, such that a symmetrical handle configuration is achieved.

The discs 26 and 23 are of annular configuration and uniform in construction and are formed with flat inner faces 34 and outer faces 36. Thus, the locking disc 25 is disposed in cut-out 3t) and the adjustment disc 28 is disposed in slot 32, such that the inner faces 34 are spaced apart from each other in confronting relation on opposite sides of blade B. The cut-out 30 and slot 32 are formed by cutting narrow cylindrical shaped openings in the bottom of the handle H, adjacent the blade B, with the cut out 30 having an exposed side edge or bearing surface 38 and with the slot 32 having an inner side edge or bearing surface and an outer side edge 42. Thus, the bearing surfaces 38 and 40 are disposed on opposite sides of blade B. As will be more fully understood from the operation of the carving knife 10 which will be described herein, the spacer attachment 12 can be locked in a series of selected positions which are spaced-apart from the blade B, through the rotation of the locking disc 26 and adjustment disc 28. It can be appreciated that the spacer 12 is maintained in a locked position, by rotating the locking disc 26 in a direction such that its inner face 34 is seated against bearing surface 38, and by rotating adjustment disc 28 such that its inner face 34 is seated against bearing surface 40. Accordingly, the spacer 12 can be moved into a different selected position from the locked position shown in FIG. 2, by rotating the locking disc 26 in an opposite direction such that its inner face 30 is not seated against bearing surface 38 and by either rotating adjustment disc 28 in one direction such that its inner face 34 is seated against bearing surface 40 thereby causing the spacer 12 to move toward blade B, or by rotating adjustment disc 23 in an opposite direction such that its outer face 36 bears against outer edge 42, thereby causing the spacer 12 to move away from blade B.

In accordance with the present invention, the guide means 16 includes a guide rod 44 which is fixed to the slicing guide 12 in a manner similar to the attachment of the adjustment element 22, as outlined above. Accordingly, the guide rod 44 is spaced apart from the adjustment element 22 and extends outwardly from the slicing guide 12 so as to be slidably received in sleeve 21 of through bore 19, which is also similar to the s-lidable fit of the shank of adjustment element 22 in sleeve 20' of through bore 18. Conveniently, the shanks of adjustment element 22 and guide rod 44 are formed with an outside diameter which is slightly smaller in dimension than that of the inner diameters of sleeves 20 and 21, respectively, such that a sliding fit is obtained between the shanks of adjustment element 22 and guide rod 44 and sleeves 20 and 21, thereby allowing adjustment element 22 and guide rod 44 to move freely in a lateral direction with respect to the "blade B.

As a feature of the control means 14 and guide means 16 aiding in the obtaining of precise slice thicknesses, a slice thickness gauge 46 is formed in the bottom of the handle H. The slice-thickness gauge 46 includes a cut-out in the shape of a radial sector 48 and having a dial opening 50 which communicates with through bore 19, such that a portion of guide rod 44 is exposed. The radial sector 48 is formed with a fiat surface 52 which is substantially coplanar with the exposed portion of the guide rod 44. An indicator line 54 is inscribed on the fiat sunface 52, such that the indicator line 54 is in alignment with and parallel to the edge E of the knife blade B. By inscribing suitable graduation lines 56 on the guide rod 44, which are preferably spaced A; :of an inch apart, it is possible to obtain precise and exact slice thicknesses by aligning the indicator line 54 with the graduation lines 56 in accordance with the slice thickness which is desired.

From the foregoing description, it can be appreciated that the slicing guide 12 can be locked in a series of selected positions which are spaced apart from the blade B. This is accomplished through the rotation of the control members 26, 28 on the shank of adjustable elements 22. Accordingly, the locking disc 26 is first rotated in a direction so as to move locking disc 26 from its locked position, seated against bearing surface 38 to its unlocked position in which locking disc 26 is spaced apart from side edge 38. It is possible to rotate the adjustment disc 28 in either direction to obtain lateral movement in either direction, of the adjustment element 22 in the sleeve 20. In this manner, the slicing guide 12 moves away from the blade B when the adjustment disc 28 is rotated in a direction such that the disc outer face 36 bears against the outer edge 42 of slot 32, and the spacer 12 moves toward the blade B when the adjustment disc 28 is rotated in an opposite direction such that the disc inner face 34 is seated against bearing surface 40 of slot 32. Thus by aligning the indicator line 54 and a specific graduation line of slice-thickness gauge 46, it is possible to move the slicing guide 12 into the precise position required to obtain the exact slice thickness which is desired. Accordingly, after the slicing guide 12 has been adjusted in this manner, the locking disc 26 and adjustment disc 23 are moved to their locked position shown in FIG. 2 for slicing the material M.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What I claim is:

1. A hand knife for slicing material into a series of slices of precise thicknesses comprising a handle, an elongated blade mounted on said handle, an elongated slicing guide mounted in side-by-side relation to said blade for contacting the edge of said material, a threaded adjustment element and a guide rod extending from said spacer in spaced apart and parallel relation, said handle being formed with bearing surfaces on opposite sides of said blade and through bores for receiving said adjustment element and guide rod respectively, and a pair of control members having internal threading which engage the threads of said adjustment element on opposite sides of said blade such that said slicing guide is capable of being locked in a series of selected positions which are spaced-apart from said blade through the rotation of said control members which are capable of being seated against said bearing surfaces and unseated from said bearing surfaces.

2. A hand knife for slicing material comprising a handle, an elongated blade mounted on said handle, an elongated slicing guide mounted in side-by-side relation to said blade for contacting the edge of said material, a threaded adjustment shaft and a guide rod extending from said spacer in spaced apart and parallel relation, said handle being formed with bearing surfaces on opposite sides of said blade and through bores for receiving said adjustment shaft and guide rod respectively, and a locking element and an adjustment element having inner and outer faces respectively and being formed with internal threads which engage the threads of said adjustment shaft on opposite sides of said blade whereby said slicing guide can be locked in an infinite number of selected positions which are spaced-apart from said blade through the rotation of said locking and adjustment elements such that said slicing guide is capable of being moved from a locked position, with said locking and adjustment elements seated against their respective bearing surfaces, to an adjusted position with said locking element unseated from its bearing surface.

3. In a hand knife for slicing material in a series of slices of precise thicknesses including a handle, an elongated blade mounted on said handle, and an elongated slicing guide mounted in side-by-side relation to said blade for contacting the edge of said material, a threaded adjustment shaft and guide rod on said spacer which are spaced apart from each other and extend outwardly from said spacer, said handle being formed with bearing surfaces on opposite sides of said blade and through bores for receiving said adjustment shaft and guide rod respectively, and a locking element and adjustment element having internal threads which engage the threads of said adjustment shaft on opposite sides of said blade such that said slicing guide is capable of being locked in a series of selected positions which are spaced-apart from said blade through the rotation of said locking and adjustment elements from a locked position with said locking and adjustment elements seated against their bearing surfaces, to an adjusted position with said locking element unseated from its bearing surface, said adjustment element bearing against its bearing surface for moving said slicing guide closer to said blade and being unseated from its bearing surface for moving said slicing guide away from said blade.

4-. A hand knife for slicing material according to claim 3, in which a slice-thickness gauge is provided including a dial opening on said handle in communication with said guide rod, said guide rod being inscribed with graduation lines which serve as indicia of slice thicknesses and said handle being inscribed with an indicator line which is in alignment with said knife blade such that a precise slice thickness can be obtained in accordance with the alignment of said graduation lines with said indicator line during the lateral movement of said guide rod.

5. A hand knife for slicing material into a series of slices of precise thicknesses comprising a handle, an elongated blade mounted on said handle, a slicing guide mounted in side-by-side relation to said blade for contacting the edge of said material, a threaded adjustment element and a guide rod extending from said spacer in spaced apart and parallel relation, said handle being formed with bearing surfaces on opposite sides of said blade and through bores for receiving said adjustment element and guide rod respectively, a pair of control elements having internal threads which engage the threads of said adjustment element on opposite sides of said blade, and a slice-thickness gauge including a dial opening on said handle communicating with said guide rod which is provided with graduations for indicating the slice thickness such that said slicing guide is capable of being locked in a series of selected positions which are spaced-apart from said blade in accordance with said graduations through the seating and unseating of said control elements against said bearing surfaces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,760,575 5/1930 Andersson 30284 2,877,552 3/1959 Pollman 30-284 2,968,867 1/1961 Wolff 30-283 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

J. L. JONES, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAND KNIFE FOR SLICING MATERIAL INTO A SERIES OF SLICES OF PRECISE THICKNESS COMPRISING A HANDLE, AN ELONGATED BLADE MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, AN ELONGATED SLICING GUIDE MOUNTED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION TO SAID BLADE FOR CONTACTING THE EDGE OF SAID MATERIAL, A THREADED ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT AND A GUIDE ROD EXTENDING FROM SAID SPACER IN SPACED APART AND PARALLEL RELATION, SAID HANDLE BEING FORMED WITH BEARING SURFACES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BLADE AND THROUGH BORES FOR RECEIVING SAID ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT AND GUIDE ROD RESPECTIVELY, AND A PAIR OF CONTROL MEMBERS HAVING INTERNAL THREADING WHICH ENGAGE THE THREADS OF SAID ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BLADE SUCH THAT SAID SLICING GUIDE IS CAPABLE OF BEING LOCKED IN A SERIES OF SELECTED POSITIONES WHICH ARE SPACED-APART FROM SAID BLADE THROUGH THE ROTATION OF SAID CONTROL MEMBERS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF BEING SEATED AGAINST SAID BEARING SURFACES AND UNSEATED FROM SAID BEARING SURFACES. 